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Centre decides to ban all state lotteries

The Union Cabinet today decided to bring in a comprehensive legislation to ban all central and state government lotteries.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan said the Cabinet has also decided to ask all state legislatures to adopt resolutions authorising Parliament to ban private lotteries and gambling, which come in the state list of subjects.

The new law is being proposed after the Lotteries Regulation Act, 1998, banning single-digit lotteries, was challenged by some state governments and stayed by the Guwahati high court.

Mahajan said the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and the chief ministers' conference in November 1998 had suggested banning all types of lotteries.

He said the government is considering a scheme to compensate the loss of revenue to the north-east region, which earns Rs500 million annually through lotteries.

Mahajan claimed that lotteries had been banned on "public demand". During the debate in Parliament, 99 per cent MPs had favoured the move.

He said state governments do not make much money from lotteries, garnering in the range of Rs80 million. But the loss to individuals is very high.

UNI

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